South TN continues to be under watch for thundershowers

Rain or thundershowers have occurred at isolated places over Kanyakumari, Tirunelveli and Ramanathapuram districts of Tamil Nadu, and Kerala and Mahe during the 24 hours ending on Tuesday morning.

The Chennai Regional Meteorological Centre said that on Wednesday, thunderstorms with lightning may roll out over Kerala and Lakshadweep, and on Thursday, over Kerala.

East Coast under watch

The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF-IFS-HRES) has put the entire East Coast of Tamil Nadu from Kanyakumari to Chennai, especially the south-eastern parts, under watch for possibility of varying amounts of showers until Wednesday evening. Tenkasi, Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari districts are of particular mention here.

The Chennai Met Centre too has indicated that the Kanyakumari, Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, Ramanathapuram, Pudukkottai, Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur and Thanjavur are likely to come under the persisting volatile weather regime emerging from Sri Lanka and across the Palk Strait and the Gulf of Mannar.

Cyclonic circulation off Kanyakumari

This weather is being attributed to a cyclonic circulation over the Comorin area and adjoining Sri Lanka on Wednesday after intense convection had continued here well into the midnight on Monday forcing even aircraft operating in the North-West to South-East sector to divert a bit from their path to avoid the thunderstorms.

The intensity has reduced by Tuesday evening but the fact that it continues to persist even as it is watched from all three sides (Laccadive Sea, Equatorial Indian Ocean and South-West Bay of Bengal) by building swarms of thunderclouds which bears compelling watching by aviation meteorologists.

IMD rules out heat wave

Meanwhile, to the North of the country, two more fresh western disturbances arriving in quick succession from across the international border are predicted to set up a similar volatile weather both over the Himalayan hills and the adjoining plains during the next few days.

Winds from either side blowing into each other forming a trough or line wind discontinuity would spawn thunderstorms, lightning and lightning over Central India and adjoining East-Central India across Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Vidarbha from Thursday to Saturday and over Jharkhand and Bihar on Friday and Saturday. Isolated hailstorms are likely over Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh on Friday.

Maximum day temperatures are above normal by 2-5 degrees Celsius over most parts of North-West, Central and adjoining East India and below normal or near normal elsewhere. No significant change is expected during next three days, too. But the thunderstorms will bring them down by 2-4 degrees Celsius thereafter over North-West and Central India. These go to rule out possibility of a heat wave any time soon.

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